CASSY O’CONNOR
“The railyard’s hospital was Paul Lennon’s baby, born out of the need to deflect attention from Tasmanian Labor’s appalling performance in government,” Ms O’Connor said. “Then David Bartlett adopted this ugly foundling telling Tasmanians his government would spend $1.2 billion on a hospital on the wrong site, in conflict with a working port and waterfront values.”
NO FEDERAL FUNDS FOR NEW HOBART HOSPITAL SHOWS BARTLETT GOVERNMENT HAS ABANDONED WATERFRONT PLANS
But Has No Alternative Vision
Cassy O’Connor MP
Greens Health and Human Services spokesperson
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today said that the Bartlett government appears to have abandoned its ill-conceived unpopular waterfront hospital but has made no commitment to Tasmanians to honour its pledge to deliver a 21st century world-class public hospital.
Greens Health and Human Services spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP said while it was clear from the Federal Budget that the Bartlett government had decided against the hospital sometime ago, it is also clear that Labor has no viable alternative to the railyard site because it botched the process from the beginning.
“The railyard’s hospital was Paul Lennon’s baby, born out of the need to deflect attention from Tasmanian Labor’s appalling performance in government,” Ms O’Connor said.
“Then David Bartlett adopted this ugly foundling telling Tasmanians his government would spend $1.2 billion on a hospital on the wrong site, in conflict with a working port and waterfront values.”
“The failure to properly consult and put site selection to an expert panel, as well as the huge potential cost of site remediation and hospital construction in a recession, has led to the waterfront hospital’s demise.”
“Where is the government’s alternative vision?”
“How can the public health consumers have any confidence that the Bartlett government has either a plan or the means to get our aged hospital onto a 21st century footing?”
“The staff who give the hospital its heart and capacity are under significant strain – how is the Bartlett government going to ensure that we retain these people and attract good staff in the future when the current building is so substandard?”
“The lack of a viable alternative to the waterfront hospital has set this process back a good couple of years and that is profoundly disappointing to all those who work in, and rely upon, the Royal.”
“If ever there was a good argument for asking the Commonwealth to dig into its infrastructure pool it is to build a state-of-the-art teaching hospital for Tasmania,” Ms O’Connor said.
